


hygge means (you)

by flyingthesky



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-07 12:41:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18873409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flyingthesky/pseuds/flyingthesky
Summary: Breathe. You're on the ice.On the ice, nothing matters. It doesn't matter that your team is anxious and you don't know how to tell them that Nicky is fine.





	hygge means (you)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [growlery](https://archiveofourown.org/users/growlery/gifts).
  * Inspired by [[podfic] i'll come when you ask me (fast train, make my eyes blue)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13955259) by [growlery](https://archiveofourown.org/users/growlery/pseuds/growlery). 
  * Inspired by [[podfic] attempted murder](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16968639) by [growlery](https://archiveofourown.org/users/growlery/pseuds/growlery). 



Breathe. Just breathe.

Nicky kisses you, warm and real. His hands settle on your hips and he kisses you like this is the only thing he's ever wanted. Like you're the only thing he's ever wanted.

Like this is the natural conclusion of the time you've spent with him. It feels _right_ , it feels _good_ , and it slots right into the energy that you've been feeling this season.

You settle into it like a blanket and you want it to be like this forever -

Breathe. You're on the ice.

On the ice, nothing matters. It doesn't matter that your team is anxious and you don't know how to tell them that Nicky is fine. He's fine and he's. It's not a knee injury, really -

Breathe. You are on the _ice_.

You have a job to do. You have a goodamn job to do and you need to do it, no matter how much you're distracted by a dozen different things that are on your mind right now.

Hands settled on your stick, you play hockey. That's what you're good at: hockey. You can play hockey, even with all the things that are going on right now.

Breathe. You're at home.

Nicky is there too, because he's "injured" and well. You've both agreed he can't leave the house currently. Sometimes, a witch curses you to be a werewolf and it hasn't settled so you keep swapping between wolf and human. Currently, Nicky is a wolf.

You sit on the couch and Nicky flops on top of you. Somehow, he is both heavier and the same weight as he is normally.

"You ok? You eat steak?"

There's a snuffling noise and you assume that means yes. Between the two of you, Nicky is the responsible one. You left the steak for him to eat and Nicky probably ate it because even as a wolf he knows that there's no sense in losing weight. Protein is important.

"Miss you," you say, petting Nicky's fur. "Fur not so nice as hair."

Breathe. You're on the ice.

It's the playoffs, which sucks because Nicky is a werewolf and he's not there. He's been on and off the ice for the playoffs and this is the first time it's felt like you have a real shot at the Cup and you want Nicky to be there with you. Nicky is always there with you, and it's.

You work well with your team. You're all super great together. You can get assists from other people, they don't have to be from Nicky. They really don't, but you _want_ them to be and they're not and it sucks and you're on the ice. You're on the ice, but for the very first time in your long, long career it's maybe not where you want to be.

You don't know. It's never been this complicated before and this is so, so complicated. Nicky is a werewolf, you're in the playoffs, and neither of you have had time to discuss the things that you said should wait until After. You want it to be After, because Now is a lot of stress.

Breathe. Just . . . breathe.

Nicky kissed you, warm and real. You wanted it to last forever, but then it was the playoffs and ot gas to wait and then a witch cursed Nicky and he was a werewolf and it's all been very stressful. This season is stressful and you can feel the Cup within your grasp but also it's just.

If everything was an hourglass, right now would be that point in the center where the sand is neither in the top nor the bottom. It slips away and the time spent there is ephemeral. Unreal. That's how this season feels: like it's slipping away from you. Like you can't hold onto anything because it's all slipping away.

You don't like the feeling. You really, really don't.

Breathe. _Breathe_.

Nicky noses at your cheek. It's wet and weird and you love him. That's the weird thing about this whole thing - you've realized that it doesn't matter what Nicky looks like or what form he's in. You love him and you would like him as a presence in your life for as long as he's willing to be one. 

"We okay," you tell Nicky. It's true, but maybe not in the way it should be. "We win, everything be okay."

There's no real response from Nicky. He just flops on top of you like he sometimes does during your power naps and well. That's sort of an answer in and of itself. Nicky's never been that great with words, so you've learned how to read the words into his actions.

 _Love you,_ it says. 

"Yeah," you say back, "love you too."

Breathe. You're on the ice.

You don't remember anything about the blur up until this moment. You know it's the playoffs and you know Nicky isn't there and you know that you're playing against the Penguins. These are facts. The memory is the hard part.

Well, no. Your muscles remember how to play hockey, and they carry you through the game even though the exact passes and assists and everything are a total blur. You're not sure that you'll remember the specifics of this game later, in month or two months or even a year, but you'll remember the feeling of it.

It's pure adrenaline, rushing through you veins and settling in your bones until that's all you can remember. That's the only thing that's clear about the game at all.

Breathe. You've won.

You've won and the adrenaline is still rushing through your bones, but it's waning and the crash is making the whole thing seem like something out of a dream. You don't know it's real until Nicky crashes into you and presses a kiss to your temple.

 _I love you_ , he whisper-yells into your ear. _I love you._

It takes you by surprise, because Nicky is supposed to be at home and Nicky's supposed to be a wolf, but he's warm and real and solid and smiling at you like this could be forever. You hope that's true. You hope this could be forever.

For the moment, though, Nicky is by your side and that, more than anything else, is what you've won tonight.

Breathe easy.

You're on the ice, and it's home.

**Author's Note:**

> There's werewolves and curses involved here. I hope you didn't expect me to actually check this against the 2018 season it's set in because I did not.
> 
> Anyway this was a lot of fun!! I hope you also had fun!!!


End file.
